Blood Moon
by Dragonheart2
Summary: This story was inspired by a research paper I did on Mythology. It involves random bits of strange creatures like rakshasa, oni, chiangshi, and the like. Trying to keep people in character, but creative liscence permits me to tweak every now and then.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I own the lyrics, but not the characters I'm making the song about. Got it? Good.  
  
A/N: Hello there peeps! I just had a sudden burst of inspiration so I'm just gonna write something... Dunno exactly what since most of my stories are written on spur of the moment and then are abandoned by the wayside for long periods of time... I'm starting out with a umm...songish type fic, then I might move on to the actual story. Don't know what type of story yet... And by the way, when you are reading the whatever ya wanna call it below, imagine Kenshin sitting beneath a sukara tree which is in blossom. Anyway, read, enjoy, and review!  
  
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Scared face that never shows the pain inside

A beautiful smile to hide the turmoil and anguish

Of a torn soul that weeps blood

And a broken and bleeding heart  
  
Slowly healing from the trauma

Healing touches given by kind words

And love's soft kiss

Once the terror of the night

You've become a light-blessed child  
  
Friendly eyes that hide

A sleeping dragon inside

God-like speed that shows your strength

Open smiles that block prying eyes

From your closed soul

Face so young with a soul so old  
  
Let the sleeping dragon lie

Keep the promise you made

Do not be the agent of death any longer

Stay away from the shadows

Enter the light that banishes the dark  
  
In dreams you might be tormented

But if you do not run but confront these terrors

You will find peace

And maybe your purpose in this life

Keep on protecting those you love

Cast away your past

Become someone new  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
A/N: Well, that's over with. I feel better. It was revolving in my head and was annoying me. This will eventually live up to it's title. I just need time to write it. I want it to be a good fic and not just something someone looks at for a sec, makes a face, and moves on. I really like vampires and werewolves and Kenshin's youthful face reminds me of a vampire and Sanosuke truely does strike me as a werewolf-like person. And I'm bored. So I'll write it. Ja ne!


	2. Momentary Conclusion

A/N: Hello. No, I'm not dead, I'm just a very, very busy girl with little to no time for anything but work and school...sigh Isn't how that usually goes? Well, actually, my soul got eaten by World of Warcraft. Yes, it really did. It's like Magic the Gathering, it steals your soul! Not really, but we like to think that, don't we, nii-chan? My sister got addicted to it, too. Ah, well, I finally got sick and now am stuck at home for a few days (and WoW is not working for me...--'), so in order to relieve my boredom, I'm here writing this. Inspiration is still in working order, so this hopefully won't be a crappy chapter. Really. Oh, and by the way, this is3Cp>Disclaimer: I own naught. Really. If I owned it, things would have been very different in the anime and manga...like Okita would not of died, nor Tomoe, or Captain Sagara, or...well, you get the picture.

()()()()()()()Chapter 1()()()()()()()()()()()()()

In the springtime in Kyoto, the cherry trees blossomed, turning the lovely town into a paradise for those that lived there and those that merely visited or passed through. The smell of cherry blossoms filled the air, making it sweet and a pure pleasure to breathe. Hiko Seijiri the 13th pulled the cork top off his tokkuri, the gentle scent of the sake mixing with the air and dispersing all too quickly. Pouring in a measured amount of the drink into his ochoko, he filled it to the usual three quarters full level before stopping. He set the bottle down on the table and lifted his ochoko to his lips and sipped it. The busy surroundings of the small sukiyaki restaurant did not disturb him as it used to in the past. It took years for his delicate, honed senses to allow even a small crowd's noise to not give him migraines. Even so, he restricted himself to small places like the restaurant, for simplicity's sake. After all, it does not do for a chiang-shi to mix with common humans in large numbers too often. One should not play with tixing with the air and dispersing all too quickly. Pouring in a measured amount of the drink into his ochoko, he filled it to the usual three quarters full level before stopping. He set the bottle down on the table and lifted his ochoko to his lips and sipped it. The busy surroundings of the small sukiyaki restaurant did not disturb him as it used to in the past. It took years for his delicate, honed senses to allow even a small crowd's noise to not give him migraines. Even so, he restricted himself to small places like the restaurant, for simplicity's sake. After all, it does not do for a chiang-shi to mix with common humans in large numbers too often. One should not play with their food.

Drinking his sake quietly alone at a table, Hiko reminisced about the past. He remembered his strange, quiet deshi that caused him so much trouble time and time again. First, he rescues the boy from certain death at the hands of rounin. Then, he bothers to train him, so that the brat can protect himself and those he loves, a sentimentality he still regreted. And after all that kindness, the boy runs off to join the Ishin Shishi, an idiotic act only a foolish, romatic boy could possibly make. Hiko did not hear from Kenshin again for years and years, though he did catch rumors of him from time to time. More than a decade passed until the boy returned to him, and then only to learn the last and ultimate move of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. Traditionally, Hiko should have perished, like his shishou before him and his shishou's shishou before him, and so on and so forth as it had been from the Sengoku Jidai. Himura Kenshin would have become the new shishou, but he did not, indeed he refused the title. Hiko, despite being a chiang-shi, would not have survived Kenshin's attack, but now he was doomed to near eternity due to that sakabatou the baka deshi carried.

As he finished his sake, Hiko decided it was time to visit his baka deshi. The time had come for him to see how much more Kenshin had changed. That girl, Kaoru, the only teacher of the Kamiya Kasshin, seemed to have caught the eye of the rurouni. Hiko hoped that the two married and that little Kenshins and Kaorus were now running around Tokyo, causing trouble like only Himuras could. Perhaps it was time to forge new ties with the world, considering he would not be leaving it any time soon. Besides, it surely was time that Kenshin discovered exactly what he was, for if he did have children, they would need to be instructed and carefully watched.

A/N: I know it's short, but I really have to do some more research on world-wide stories of vampires and werewolves and other lovely stuff like that. I looked up at least ten websites to get a handle just on how to drink sake, the name for Chinese vampires, the name of Kenshin's shishou, and other stuff like that. Thank heavens for google...Anyways, I didn't plagerize anything, so I think I'm all good. Just to make sure...I, the author of this fan fiction story, do not own anything written here, it all belongs to whoever owns the rights to Rurouni Kenshin. Yah. So, I'll write more tonight I think and post it (if inspiration continues), but for now, this is all you should expect to see until more pops up as if by magic. Ja ne mina-san!


	3. New Arrival

A/N: Would you believe me if I told you I was carried off by gremlins to be their queen and just returned from their lair in the New York sewers? You would? Well, aren't you gullible. Of course I wasn't kidnapped, I was just being lazy again. But, anyways, I know y'all just been dying to read the next chapter. Heck, you might have been inspired and gone and looking up what the heck a chiang-shi is or how to drink sake. What? You didn't! An outrage! Go do research now! Really, I can't do all the work in here...wait, yes I can, it's my job as an author to clarify things for the unenlightened. Of course, you know that I'm abosolutely joking, dear reader. All will become clear as I sweep away the veil. But who says I have to do it in this chapter? Mwahaha. Cliff hangers will be coming, so watch your step. Please review, because I'm starving for attention. :P

Disclaimer: I do not own anything here. It all belongs to someone else. Not mine, someone else's.

000000000 Chapter 2 00000000

Humming a wordless tune to himself, Himura scrubbed the dirty clothes by rote. Up and down his arms went, rubbing the clothes on the washboard gently, yet firmly, cleansing the items of the dirt, sweat, and a little blood from a dojo accident on them, of course coming from yet another headbanging of Yahiko's for disrespecting Kaoru while training. Kenshin felt happier in the spring than any other time of year. It made him feel truely alive and well. It also made him think fondly of his little boy who currently was splashing his hands into the wash bucket playfully. Kenji, his pride and joy, would be three very soon. It seemed like just yesterday that Kaoru had first handed him a tiny bundle that contained his precious treasure, his son.

In the dojo, Kenshin could hear his wife shouting out the orders to her class. Shinai hit shinai with loud clacks and yells. The practices occured every day now, with hordes of enthusiastic learners coming to be students of his talented wife. He sat on the sidelines, every once in awhile, and watched the students spar and practice their forms. Such pride he saw in his wife for her pupils. She loved them all, and hoped for each one to surpass their best efforts thus far. Soon, her very first student, Yahiko, would become a graduate of the art. He would then become the second instructor, leaving some time for Kaoru in which she could spend with her budding family.

Their family was not rich, nor were they poor. They could afford extra pleasures on occassion, and were never in want for food, clothing, or shelter. Sanosuke, who was currently in China, sent them little presents from time to time along with a letter detailing a few of his adventures. Lately, Sano employed himself as a bodyguard, with which he made a decent enough living. Someday, he would be back, though. Sano told them in every letter that he missed them all and someday would return to stay. Kenshin and Kaoru's friend, Megumi the doctor, would not be sad to see Sanosuke return. Whenever a letter came from Sano, Kenshin and Kaoru reaffirmed their plan to get Sano to marry Megumi when he returned. They would be just right for eachother.

Into this happy thought line, Kenshin was so busy with his mind and hands that he did not notice a visitor in the entrance of the dojo until the person coughed politely to warn Kenshin of his presence. Looking up from the tub, Kenshin saw Hiko Seijiro waiting patiently. "Shishou!" he exclaimed in surprise, standing up in a hurry and wiping his soapy hands on his gi absent-mindedly. "What a surprise!"

"Is it?" Hiko asked in a teasing tone. Hiko's eyes caught sight of Kenji still playing with the bucket of water. "Is that your son?" he asked, already knowing the answer, for who else could pass on such red hair other than Kenshin?

"Yes," Kenshin answered proudly. "Kaoru's and mine."

"Congradulations, he looks like a fine son," Hiko complimented with a rare smile. Walking over for a closer look at the boy, he stopped a few feet away from Kenji. The boy looked up from his play and grinned up at the stranger in the long white coat. "What's his name?"

"Kenji." Kenshin looked happy, but mildly puzzled as well. "If you don't mind my asking, why are you here?"

"Can't a person visit his favorite baka deshi?" asked Hiko innocently.

"I was your only deshi," Kenshin responded wryly. "But you are certainly welcome, especially since it seems you carry no bad news with you."

"Oh, most gracious of you," mockingly replied Hiko. "Perhaps, later on, we might spar to see how well you are keeping up with your studies."

Kenshin half-glared at his former teacher. "I do not practice at all any more. Megumi has warned me of the foolishness of that many a time."

Hiko silently cursed that foolish woman. She truely had no idea, of course, of Kenshin's abilities, but now she had placed in the baka deshi's path a block that needed to be removed. And mental ones were the hardest to remove. "But of course."

A/N: And there is where I end it for now. Hmm...what shall I do next? Sanosuke will definitely be in this fic. And oh, it's going to be interesting. Do I see a full moon out my window? Wait, no, that's a crescent moon. Darn. Ah, well, I hope you like this so far, mina-san. I have no idea when I'm going to update again, but it won't be very soon. Unless a block of inspiration drops on my head, that is. Ja ne, mina-san! Please do review.


	4. The Rakshasa

Author's Note: I know it's been nearly a month, but hey, I was busy. So, here's the next chapter. Review responses will be posted at the bottom from this chapter on. (please wish me luck, I have a midterm in my photography class tommorow!)

Disclaimer: If I owned this, Sano would never have left Japan and married Megumi right away and had many, many little kids. Oh, and Kenshin and Kaoru would have more kids. And Saitoh would show up more often. And we'd see who the heck Saitoh married. And we'd see more of Aoishi. And..well, I think you're getting the general idea. So, yeah, I don't own this, but maybe in the next life or two..well..we'll see.

"Bai Ru, don't fall behind!" Sanosuke taunted his friend. Shouldering his heavy pack, he started running up the steep mountain trail.

Cursing, Bai Ru quickly finished shoveling dirt over the coals of last night's fire. "Dammit, can't you wait a minute?" he yelled back in exasperation at the swiftly retreating figure of the Aku symbol-bearing punk. Grabbing his own pack, he hoisted it into place and began to run after Sanosuke.

The two friends finished their last job in a town not five miles from their night camp. Now they traveled back to the former temple they found abandoned a year ago. There they would train rigorously along with several other friends, gaining more strength and mastery over their talents. Rakshasa, a form of shapeshifter found throughout lower eastern Asia, tended to form groups in which they traveled. Bai Ru ran across Sanosuke not long after he came to China. Discovering Sanosuke had rakshasa blood, he introduced him to the rest of the rakshasa he traveled with. Bai Ru normally took the form of a tiger, but in order to blend in with city life, he took the form of a man- or a house cat if he wanted to avoid authorities. Sanosuke only inheirited the strength a rakshasa possessed with a slight possibility of learning to shapeshift as he aged. Four others formed the rakshasa group: Heng Hai, Li Jin, Shui Ping, and Osamu. Together, the group worked in pairs as bodyguards for merchants, earning money to feed and clothe them. They lead a fairly simple life, other than the occassional fight with bandits while they guarded merchant trains.

While Sanosuke enjoyed living this life, he missed his friends he left in Japan. More specifically, he missed the fox woman, Megumi. She was in his thoughts more often than the rest of the Kenshin-gumi, though he did think of them often as well, just no where near in the same light. Megumi, he believed, could match him in so many ways. He loved her and decided that he would go back to Japan soon and ask her to marry him. Bai Ru knkshasa group: Heng Hai, Li Jin, Shui Ping, and Osamu. Together, the group worked in pairs as bodyguards for merchants, earning money to feed and clothe them. They lead a fairly simple life, other than the occassional fight with bandits while they guarded merchant trains.

**End notes**: A rakshasa is kind of like a were-wolf in the sense that they are shapeshifters. The thing is, though, that a rakshasa can shapeshift into any form they please. They're stronger than normal humans (I say normal humans because look at Aoishi for heaven's sake...), but they're not invunerable. They can be immortal, but only if someone doesn't manage to stick a sword or some object (not necessarily sharp) through their heart, major arteries, throat, eye(s), etc. I don't know if they really move in groups, but for the sake of this story, they do. :P Poetic liscense here.

Ok, second thing is, those names do mean something. They are not random. Bai Ru means white and scholar. Why he is called this will be made clear pretty soon. I plan to make many bad puns with the names of my original peeps. Heng Hai means eternaland sea. Li Jin means black and metal. Shui Ping means water and peaceful. Osamu means law abiding. All but Osamu are Chinese, but the last name is Japanese. There is a reason for this. Ok, enough with the hints.

**Review Responses**

Serlgee: Thanks. I hope you like this chapter, too.

omasuoniwabanshi: So did I. Why send him off to China? I would have made him marry Megumi, myself. I tried very hard to keep Hiko in character. He's one of my many favorites because of his personality. And no, he is not your conventional European vampire. You see, there are many, many different kinds of vampires, like the Carribean for example has four different kinds on that island alone, the soucoyant, the tobago, the fearsomeOl' Higue, and the Loogaroo. China is the country I decided to pull the type of vampire from I'm using for Hiko. The Chiang-shi does not suck blood. They, instead, devourchi, which is the life force of the body. They can fly and transfigure, but their powers come from the moon. So, my ideas for my vampires don't come from Bram Stroker's train of thought, nor Anne Rice's. Oh, and Chiang-shi don't burn up in daylight, so Hiko can move around all he likes.


	5. Greetings and Travels

Author's Notes: Well, here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy and please review. I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving break. I've been dying for a chance to catch up on homework. Maybe I'll even find time to practice my Yoga. My muses tell me to keep dreaming on that one. Review responses will be at the bottom, as always.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this. The story idea is probably mine, but I won't put that down in concrete either. So, to make things simple, nothing written here is mine, though I do wish it was...I'd change the ending to Reflection...

((((((000000))))))

Hiko greeted Kaoru warmly as she entered the house that ajoined the dojo. She smiled warmly, if uncertainly, at the surprise visitor. "What brings you to Tokyo?" Kaoru asked the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu master, mimicking unconciously her husband's question.

"I saw the cherry trees blooming in Kyoto and they reminded me of you," Hiko replied suavely. "I thought to myself, 'Hasn't it been a long time since I've seen the baka deshi and his friends?' and decided to come see you."

"Well, you are welcome to stay as long as you like," Kaoru said graciously. "May we offer you some cha?"

"I would appreciate it, thank you." Hiko sat down with Kaoru while Kenshin went to go prepare some cha. "I see you have a child now, Kaoru-san. He looks like a fine child," Hiko commented.

"Yes, he looks so much like his father," Kaoru murmmered in the tone of a contented parent observing her precious child. "I hope someday to teach him Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, so that he may carry on the tradition my father passed to me."

"With such illustrious parents, I don't see why he won't become a most excellent swordsman," Hiko complimented. His eyes narrowed, then, as he continued, "But I am wondering whether Kenshin will pass on his learnings to his son?"

Kaoru looked sharply at Hiko. "Kenshin will not teach Kenji Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Hiko-sensei. It is too dangerous and a thing of the past, now. It would not be wise to let that deadly art persevere in this Meiji era."

Shaking his head, Hiko said, "I'm sorry that you feel that way, Kaoru-san. There is more to the art than just killing. It holds much more than Kenshin managed to tap. If he had continued to practice it after learning the succession technique, I'm sure he would have discovered the many uses it holds secret."

"What are you saying? I thought after the succession technique was learned, that would be it. Nothing more could be uncovered." Kaoru looked confused, her eyes squinted, her forhead wrinkled, and her mouth pursed into lines that normally did not mark her face. "That was the whole point of it being named the succession technique."

"Normally, that would be the case," Hiko answered. "In many cases, that is what happens. The art can be passed on this way from student to student this way so that it won't disappear. However, using the succession technique and all the other stances, katas, etc. over decades, so much more can be discovered."

"Decades? You speak as if you had lived many before training Kenshin..." Kaoru trailed off, her eyes staring at Hiko as if her gaze could pierce through him and could read his thoughts. "You couldn't have been more than twenty three when you found Kenshin. You look so young."

"But does Kenshin not look young as well?" Hiko asked, prodding her mind as much as he dared to help her follow to the conclusion he wanted. "He is thirty-five, you know. Does he not look more than eighteen even now?"

Kaoru opened her mouth, then closed it. She was perplexed and her face showed it. Before she could think things through clearly, though, Kenshin returned with a pot and cups in hand. She kept her mouth shut while Kenshin poured the three of them freshly brewed cha.

"This is good," Hiko said after a sip. He inhaled the aroma appreciatively.

"Thank you," Kenshin replied simply. The three of them sat quietly, drinking their cha, until Yahiko arrived, noisy as ever.

"Hiko-san!" he exclaimed upon entering the room. "What are you doing here?"

"Visiting, Yahiko-san," Hiko answered the familiar question for a third time that day from various sources.

"How long are you staying?"

Hiko thought for a moment. How long would it take to entice Kenshin into teaching his son Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu? "A few weeks," he answered.

((((((00000 Meanwhile in China... 00000))))))

Bai Ru grabbed his pack of belongings and shouldered it hurriedly. "Let's go," he ordered the rest of the rakshasa. "The ships's here."

Boarding the ship took less than an hour, barely. Packs were thoroughly searched by officials for illegal substances before anyone was allowed to get onto the ship. Finding their cabin took only a few minutes, then the group made themselves comfortable. "This is exciting!" Shui Ping, the youngest, said exuberantly. "I always wanted to go sailing."

"I hope you feel that way when the waves start tossing us everywhere," Li Jin commented wryly.

"Don't even mention that," groaned Heng Hai, who was already green in the face.

"If you have to hurl, do it outside," Li Jin told the queasy rakshasa.

Nodding, Heng Hai hurried out of the room to the upper deck's railing, where he clung with all his strength, fighting the nausea the tipping boat gave him.

"You'd think with a name like his, he'd be more comfortable with water," Shui Ping quipped. The others nodded, agreeing with the assessment.

The other rakshasa broke out the deck of cards Sanosuke had taken to carrying around and played a game called Spades that a gaijin taught the tori-tama. The trip started out pretty much uneventful and went as smoothly as could be possible, since the boat went through only a slight drizzle from the coastal townPusanto Kanazawa, Japan.

((((((000000))))))

End Notes: You probably are wondering about a few strange items I am scattering through the story. Let's start with cha.

Cha aka O-cha is a green tea that the Japanese drink. This kind of tea is REALLY green, not brown at all. The leaves are picked when new and green. They are steamed, then dried, then rolled, then dried, then rolled again, then dried, then rolled, then dried a final time, then the stems and debris are removed, then grinded, and at the end you get Matcha, Gyokoro, Kabusecha, Hojicha, and Sencha out of all that. Drinking real green tea is very good for you, because it is high in anti-oxidants which is thought to prevent free radicals.

Tori-atama means bird head. Tori is bird, atama is head.

Well, that's it for my explainations...on to review responses!

Review Responses:

Crewel: Don't think that I'm going to let it be easy for Megumi and Sanosuke to get together...there's a little matter of him being destined to live a very, very long life since he is part rakshasa...like Inu Yasha is destined to live for a hell of a long time because he is a hanyou, Sanosuke is going to live for hundreds of years due to his bloodline, if he doesn't get killed meanwhile, that is. Then again, I do have a few surprises in store for those two... I'm very fond of them, so I think they're safe from harm. Can't say so much for everyone else though...

omasuoniwabanshi: Thanks for the edit check, I'll look into that pronto. The rakshasa group doesn't know Hiko and he doesn't know them. Totally unrelated to one another. Heh, there's going to be an interesting conflict with those guys...


	6. Traveling, Pondering, and Investigating

Author's Note: I feel like I'm on a roll here, so let's keep this ball going, neh? Thanks for all the lovely reviews, I appreciate them very much. I hope you enjoy this sixth installment. Please review!

Disclaimer: I may have some minor talent in drawing, but that doesn't mean I could draw Rurouni Kenshin. That means I don't own any of this. Conoce? Bien. (please forgive my random Spanish...I gotta practice for next semester somehow, ya know...)

((((((00000))))))

The landing was uneventful. The harbor police official took no notice of the quiet group of young men who stepped off the boardwalk. Sanosuke breathed a sigh of relief once they were a ways away from the harbor. Bai Ru and the others understood the tension release, since they all remembered why the tori-atama left Japan in the first place.

The rakshasa found a small, obscure little inn in which to spend the night. They ate in their rooms in silence, saving their energy for their trip to Tokyo which would commence the next day. Their main goal was to conserve energy as well as to not draw attention to themselves with their customary loudness. After all, they knew that the police in this town instantly blamed any foreigners for any disturbance if they possibly could and would fine them for disturbing the peace.

The morning after their arrival dawned dreary and cloudy with a misty rain that would soak through clothes almost instantly. Good weather for catching a cold for normal humans. "Kuso, it's cold out there," Omasu complained with a groan.

Sanosuke shrugged, "Like that's going to kill you."

Agreeing, Bai Ru said, "Don't be such a wimp." Grabbing his pack, he waved everyone out the door, then followed them into the cold, rainy outdoors. While they would have preferred to wait until it was not raining, it would be wise of them to leave before the police decided to check them out. They tramped the roadways until dark arrived, then made camp in a glade a bit away from the road, so as to not attract attention for unwanted sources, whether it be law enforcement or their opposites.

((((((000 In Tokyo... 000))))))

Kaoru itched to ask Hiko all sorts of questions while Kenshin was preparing dinner. However, she could not ask them in the prescence of Yahiko due to their nature. She would have to wait until she could speak privately with the older man. What did he mean by pointing out Kenshin's youthfullness? Did it mean he would continue to look that way for a long time to come? Hiko himself did not look more than thirty, though it had been over twenty years since he began teaching Kenshin Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. The Kamiya Kashin shifu's brow wrinkled as she pondered the problem.

Yahiko had been pestering Hiko about his life, when he noticed the look on Kaoru's face. "Nani ka, Kaoru?" he asked her.

"Iya," she replied, smoothing her brow and smiled. "I was just thinking."

Hiko knew very well what troubled the still young woman. He hoped that she would begin asking Kenshin the questions he knew she wanted to ask himself. This would prompt Kenshin to wonder about his youthful looks as well. It would provide a good ground on which he could build.

Dinner tasted wonderful as only the way Kenshin's expertise could fashion. Excellent cha, freshly made miso, gyoza, and shrimp tempura was the fare and they all dug in eagerly. Even Kaoru's worrying could not disturb her appetite when it came to devouring a tasty meal.

((((((000 In an office somewhere... 000))))))

"Saitoh-san, here is the report you wanted," a young, yet sufficiently competent police clerk said while handing Saitoh Hajime a folder containing news on an interesting murder case.

Saitoh's job consisted of investingating special cases that popped up every now and then. Shishio's case may have been nearly the worst he had to work on, but it certainly was not the last. However, even though this new case did not reach the level of Shishio's, it fell under a more mysterious category. The murders were strangely done, well, strange to most people, but Saitoh could easily recognize what type of person killed in this way. His eyes glimmered with interest as he surveyed the folder's contents. He grinned once he noticed a few clues that told him what he would be dealing with. How very interesting...

((((((000000))))))

Author's Notes: Well, that's it for today. I hope you enjoyed! I think I'll be updating again pretty soon, since my holiday break is coming up so soon. I love breaks, don't you? I have a lot of work to do when it comes, but I'll find time to continue working on this, I'm sure. Please review! Your comments mean a lot to me, since your continued interest feeds my will to continue writing this.

Let's see, what needs explainations this chapter? Oh, yeah...

Nani ka? - means, what is it? roughly

Iya - I've seen this translated as no, but also as it's nothing. I'm using the latter for translation this time, but I'm sure to use it as no, along with iie later.

Shifu - If you've read Furuba, you'll know what this means. For those who haven't I guess I can tell you that it means master.

Review Responses:

Crewel: You're very welcome. I hope this update was soon enough for you.

Vathara: I don't know where I called Hiko a hopping vampire, but hey, I like the idea...maybe an omake theatre? I do hope that this will be the first fic I actually finish and post all the way (I did finish one called Shopping Disastors, then decided it was stupid and didn't finish posting it all...).

Hitokiri Musei: Thanks. Kenshin revelations? has an image of a trumpet blowing I'd check above for verification. :P

omasuoniwabanshi: Yeah, it does have caffeine, but caffeine in of itself can be good for you. I did experiments with caffeine and saw their effects on living creatures, so I don't think I'd exactly call it a harmful drug. I know that it is addicting and there can be severe withdrawal symptoms with it, but can't that be argued for many other things as well that we don't consider drugs? I think it's all a matter of moderation and will-power that can keep caffeine from being harmful to your system. Oh, and as for Kaoru bashing people on the head with her bokkun, I always thought that was the actions of an immature woman expressing herself the only way she felt comfortable with at the time...so now that she is older, she has found a better way of expressing herself. She always annoyed me whenever she hit someone with her bokkun...therefore, to my mind, she's outgrown it. I hope this update was soon enough for you and that you liked it.


	7. Investigation, Worry, and More Traveling

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews, they made me very happy. I hope yourholiday waswonderful and that you enjoyed the weather, whatever it is wherever you are/were. (I love my snowy weekend myself. )I'm in a playful mood today, which is why I'll be doing an omake theatre at the end of this story to make fun of my weird little writings or things I'm peeved with already. Yura of the Hair from Inu-Yasha inspired one of the characters in this chapter. Gomen nasai it took me so long to update, my only excuse is...I was being lazy all of holiday break, so nyah nyah:P Onegai, enjoy!

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Saitoh felt tired of perusing the same material over and over again. It was time to go get some real hands on experience with the perpetrator of the heineous crimes. He would have to be especially careful that there would be no eye witnesses when he caught up with the man-eating oni. Standing up from his austerely clean desk, he replaced the file in one of the large drawers. He picked up his sword from where he placed it against the wall and buckled it to his uniform belt. This would not take very long, he thought to himself as he exited the police office building.

No one walked the dark streets this night. There was a new moon out, and it was cloudy. No normal person would be able to see clearly in such weather. But Saitoh could. Day or night, his vision remained the same, no matter the enviroment. Whistling softly to himself, he strolled along casually, waiting for the oni to appear.

The files said that the murderer only targeted lone police officers and took with him or her the livers, tongues, eyes, and hearts of the victims. That is why all police officers patrolled the streets in pairs now. Saitoh, being in the secret police, did not have to abide by the rules the others followed. He deliberately was baiting what he recognized to be an oni from the file documents. He did not even need to use anything special to dispatch this type of yokai, oni normally were easy to slay.

His eyes noticed a flicker of movement in his left perephrial vision. The oni was chosing to shadow him for now. Saitoh expected her to attack when he went a little farther away from the more heavily populated area he presently was walking by. He approved of her choice of attack, because he did not want any unlucky eyewitnesses to chase away the oni by their presence.

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The after-dinner discussion did not last long. Hiko claimed to be weary from his journey- Kenshin could tell he was lying, the martial arts expert rarely tired from anything- so the household retired for the night not long after sunset. While Kaoru was prepping the futon for the night, Kenshin asked her, "What's bothering you, Anata?"

Startled, Kaoru replied, "What?"

"You've been figeting all night, and your brow is wrinkled like it always does when you're worrying," Kenshin stated. "I want to know what is disturbing you so much."

Sitting back on her heels, Kaoru paused what she was doing. "Anata, I'm fine. Nan demo nai, just something I'm thinking about. I'll stop worrying now," she said with a small smile.

Kenshin did not like having to leave the topic alone, but he could tell that Kaoru was not ready to discuss whatever was giving her trouble. He respected her wish, and did not say anything else that night besides a quiet oyasumi after Kaoru blew out the candle when they had settled down.

After her husband fell asleep, Kaoru stopped feigning sleep and rolled over to stare at the ceiling. What Hiko said really was grating on her. Why did Kenshin look so young? He was nearly thirty five and did not have any wrinkles! She was twenty three herself, and she had a few lines. Kenshin had none. Absolutely none. How could this be so? Kaoru did not think she could chalk it up to a parental inheirtance, because Hiko possessed that unearthly youthfulness as well. From Hiko's comments, Kaoru suspected that it was connected to Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. 'Tommorow,' she decided, 'I will get some answers from Hiko.' Frustrated with her confused thoughts, she rolled over on her side with a huff and tried to sleep, which was long in coming, but arrived after awhile nonetheless.

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Dousing the afore-night's fire with liberal amounts of dirt and water, Bai Ru commented, "I think we should stay off the path for a few days, just to be cautious."

"Yeah," Sanosuke agreed, "The police in Japan tend to be nosy and paranoid about strangers. Wouldn't want someone tailing us to Tokyo."

Shui Ping asked, "So, should we all just transform?"

"Nah, don't wanna leave Sano here alone," Li Jin replied. "Let's just try not to leave too much of a trail, right Shui Ping?" The black-haired raven rakshasa teased the monkey rakshasa.

"You're beating a dead horse, Li Jin," Shui Ping snapped, peeved that a certain occurence was being subtly- or not- brought up again.

Everyone else hid a smile at the heated exchange now occuring between the two rakshasa. Li Jin treated Shui Ping like a younger brother, so it was a case in fact that they fought nearly ninety-percent of the time they were around one another.

"Not that this isn't highly amusing, you two, but shouldn't we get going?" Heng Hai asked. "I don't want to get wet again."

"The turtle that doesn't like water," Li Jin said, focusing his teasing on yet another victim in the group.

"Enough, let's go," Bai Ru barked. He acted annoyed, but he really was amused. Sadly, however, they could not afford to dwadle.

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Author's Notes: Well, that's the end of the serious part of the chapter. Haha. Now we go on to the wacky omake I've cooked up for ya! Enjoy, onegai!

Omake 1: Did you say...?

Kenshin reads aloud, "Scared face that never shows the pain inside..." He trails off, then exclaims, "Nani! What gave the baka sensei that idea!" Flashbacks to getting his face cut, loosing Tomoe, getting cut up by katanas on occasion, getting beat over the head by Kaoru... "Obviously she's no REAL fan!" he huffed.

"Totally right," Sanosuke agrees. "Hey! She says you look eighteen when you're thirty, but you only look fifteen!"

Kenshin death glares at Sanosuke at maximum malice and promises of death and mayhem power.

Sanosuke squeaks, "Eep!" and runs off from the scary ex-asssassin.

Omake 2: It took how long...?

Hiko reads slowly, " It took years for his delicate, honed senses to allow even a small crowd's noise to not give him migraines." Glaring at the text with creepy, glowing vampy eyes, he roars, "It would never take that long for me to learn anything! I am the greatest! None can match my intelectual speeds!"

Misao asks, "Then why can't you use a knife and fork when eating at a Western restraunt, Hiko-sama?"

"...because Westerners should use chopsticks like any civilized person ought to!" Hiko replies.

Misao smiles a shit-eating grin. "Riiiiighhhht."

Omake 3: That song is...?

Megumi reads aloud slowly, "Humming a wordless tune to himself, Himura scrubbed the dirty clothes by rote." She puts a hand to her mouth and laughs. "I know what song he was humming! It's that one from Snow White!"

Sanosuke's eyes go wide. "Are you serious!"

"Totally! He was humming it the other day when he thought no one was around!"

Omake 4: How fast...?

Osamu reads aloud to the other rakshasa crowding around, "'Bai Ru, don't fall behind!' Sanosuke taunted his friend. Shouldering his heavy pack, he started running up the steep mountain trail."

Li Jin smirks. "Yeah, Bai Ru won that race didn't he?"

Heng Hai grins. "Yep, by a mile and three quarters."

Curiously, Shui Ping asks, "How did you know that?"

Heng Hai replies, "Oh, well, that's where Sano tripped, fell on his face, and got knocked unconcious. Too much weight on his back, you see. He fills those bags of his up with too much Western beer."

Omake 5A: Did you notice...?

"But does Kenshin not look young as well?" Hiko asked, prodding her mind as much as he dared to help her follow to the conclusion he wanted.

Kaoru gasped. "He's not...? He's not getting plastic surgery is he!"

Omake 5B: Should you do that outside...?

"If you have to hurl, do it outside," Li Jin told the queasy rakshasa.

Nodding, Heng Hai attempted to get out of the room before he started blowing chunks. Unfortunately for all involved, he ended up spewing all over a few of the boat's passengers, causing the whole rakshasa group to be flung off the ship.

Li Jin sat on the docks, his head in his hands. "So, the turtle gets sea sick."

Omake 6: What could kill us...?

Sanosuke shrugged, "Like that's going to kill you."

Just as he said that, it began to hail with ice chunks the size of footballs falling down like rapid fire from a machine gun.

Staring at the outdoors, Sanosuke said, "I take that back."

Author's Ending Notes: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I think it's my longest yet from this series! Yay! Well, I hope you all have a wonderful week! Oooh...I'm looking forward to Christmas break, yes I am...

Review Responses:

omasuoniwabanshi:Yes, I do like good murder plots as well. This part of my idea, though, was inspired mostly by Bleach, Full Metal Alchemist, and Inu Yasha. You'll see why laters... Thank you for saying Hiko is being subtle...that's what I was aiming for. Yays for recognition! Yeah, she going to be a tad bit upset about that once it dawns on her that that will happen...heheh...did I say Omasu? I meant Osamu...I'll have to change that...gomen nasai. As for caffeinated beverages yellowing your teeth over time, that's not because of the caffeine itself. It is because of the acids they put in those drinks. Chocolate is actually very good for you, because it has a lot of anti-oxidants in it, but not the milk or white chocolate...the REAL chocolate, yup, I mean pure dark chocolate. Oh, and Arizona Green tea isn't real green tea. It may say it is, but it really isn't. The tea they use for that is probably from mainland China, not Japan, so the tea doesn't compare. The reason I say this is because green tea is the color of a soft, light green when properly prepared, and Arizona Green tea is brown. And another reason is because green tea has a shelf life of only six to twelve months when packaged. Once the package is opened, it instantly drops to a 2-3 month shelf life. The reason why is because the oxygen is being replaced with nitrogen over time. Isn't that fascinating? Same thing happens when you cut an apple in half, see it all white and nice, then come back thirty minutes later and it is brown. So drink real Japanese tea and enjoy the benefits of slowing down the aging process. Oh, and it tastes wonderful once it's properly prepared. Thanks for the long review, I appreciate it muchly. :)

CHOSU: So do I. I love Rurouni Kenshin, obviously, so using the characters to follow my little plot bunny makes it very fun. Thanks for the tip about rating, I do agree, I'll change that right away. I kinda want to rewrite the poem, since I'm going through a 200 level Creative Writing class, I've gained a lot more experience with allegories, visualization, imagery, etc. What do the rest of you readers think? Another re-write for the poem? Or maybe I should go ahead and re-write the poem and post it, but keep the other posted as well? Thanks for the long review!

Cleo: I like the name! My cat's name is Cleopatra. I do try to keep my facts as straight as possible, though I have no problem with taking creative liscence with a few things...heehee... Thanks for your review, it made me happy. I hope this new post fufils your standards.


	8. Grilling, Arriving, and Killing

**Author's Note:** I hope this came soon enough for you all. I do warn you, though, I have a tendency to do things all in a rush, and then not do anything for a while...it's just a bad habit, so don't freak out if I don't write anything for a month or two after I post. Oh, and if you didn't know this, I began this story with just the poem prologue, then didn't write anything more until a year or so later. That's how long I sometimes take. Yes, that's bad, but with reviews, I usually continue writing, just out of a guilt complex for keeping people waiting.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. No tengo nada.

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No matter what Kaoru did, no matter what trick she pulled, she could not get Hiko alone so that she could give him the third degree. Everyone, including her students from the dojo, competed with her for the master swordsman's attention, except for Kenshin. The quiet ex-assassin made himself useful by cooking, cleaning, going to the market for tofu, etc., instead of bugging his former shishou. Kaoru barely noticed his reticence anymore, since she was used to his introverted nature by then, but this day she noticed it as she tried to catch Hiko's eye to no avail.

The day passed in a blur, classes had to be taught, food prepared, and more. Hiko watched Kaoru teach her class, and even memorized some of the moves to incoporate into his own style of fighting. One rule of practical fighting is: if you like what you see, use it. Of course, such little tricks that one picks up on his own never are passed on to the students. Usually. Most likely. Hiko managed to keep his bad habits away from Kenshin for the most part, luckily one part of that was all the dirty tricks you learn to use while fighting. There is no honor in battling theives, after all.

The students pestered Hiko during their short breaks, wondering why the tall, muscular man wore the daishou, where he was from, was he part of an old samurai family, etc. Hiko managed to wave them off after a bit, after demonstrating that he would not answer questions. Yahiko, Hiko noticed, was a fine teacher. The kid had lost most of his youthful cockiness and learned what his limits were. He was a powerful young man, wise beyond his years through the massive amounts of experience he had when he was just a kid tagging along with the other Kenshin-gumi on their adventures.

It was near evening when Kaoru managed to tell Hiko in near privacy that she would like to talk to him alone. Kenshin overheard the quiet request, and wondered what was going on for a moment, then shrugged it off. Kaoru would tell him soon enough, she always did. For now, it would not trouble his mind.

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Sanosuke and the others made good time over the next few weeks. They reached Kyoto, then passed by it after only stocking up a little on some fine sake. Taking the train, they made it to Tokyo far more quickly than a horse and carriage could carry them. The group admired the city as Sanosuke lead them towards the Kamiya dojo. It looked far more modern than before Sanosuke left for China. The back alleys were cleaner than before, Sanosuke noticed. The police were doing their job admirably, he supposed.

When they reached the gates of the Kamiya residence, they stopped for a moment to get a hold of their surroundings. They breathed deeply, catching the myriad scents of the dust on the street, the people surrounding them, the people in the dojo, the fish being cooked for supper, and so much more. Sanosuke was startled to find he could recognize the scent of his friends. He never noticed before that he could identify their smells. He felt excited, he could finally again see those he loved and hated to leave. He would never regret meeting his pack, but he did wish that he had not been forced to leave Japan.

"Shall we go in?" Bai Ru asked quietly.

"Sure, why not," Sanosuke replied, then opened the door. The six of them slipped in unobtrusively, catching no one's notice. The students left through the door they came in only minutes after they arrived. Sanosuke and the others went towards the dojo. They heard a woman's voice- Sanosuke recognized it as Kaoru's- asking someone a question. The scent from the person Kaoru was talking to was a heavy, strange scent. It caused great unease amoung the rakshasa.

"What is that smell?" Shui Ping asked. "It is almost...familiar."

"I don't know," Bai Ru answered slowly. "But it smells dangerous."

"It smells dead," Osamu hissed. "Can't you smell that sweetness of carrion?"

Heng Hai nodded jerkily. "Yes, I smell that."

"As do I," Bai Ru and the others stated.

"We should proceed with caution," Bai Ru ordered. "Keep close and let Sano do most of the talking, since he knows those who live here."

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Saitoh pretended to be surprised when the onna oni jumped in front of him, holding a sword that glinted as if fresh blood was spilt on its edges. "Say your prayers," she mocked, then attacked swiftly.

Smirking, he dodged her attack and slashed her back, drawing blood. The oni screeched and instinctively tried to feel the cut by reaching behind her with one hand. While she awkwardly tried to assess the damage, he went on offense, attacking her before she could gather her wits.

It was over quickly. A stab through the heart will kill most oni, and she fell into the majority section. Not so much as a drop of blood stained his crisp uniform. Performing a quick chiburi, he then sheathed his sword. Squatting down, he exaimined the lifeles body. Already decay was setting in. The spells around Tokyo tended to do that to yokai corpses, swiftly decomposing them so that humans did not start poking into yokai affairs again.

Resuming his stroll, Saitoh continued his patrol of the streets as if nothing had happened.

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**Author's Notes:** Sorry if my Saitoh scene disappointed you, but I figured it wouldn't take much to off the RK equivalent of Yura of the Hair when we're dealing with a full-fledged ookami yokai that's lived for ages. Don't worry, more detail, and longer fights will be coming up in not too long. What do you think rakshasa would have against chiang-shi? Not really much, other they're below chiang-shi in the pecking order. Like how a hyena will give up his kill if a lion challenges him for it. Ya know? (Lions are bullies! glares) Will Kaoru ever manage to grill Hiko for some answers? Will Kenshin ever run out of laundry to do? What is Kenji doing while Momma is teaching and Daddy is cooking? Expect a few more visitors to show up at the Kamiya household soon!

**Review Responses:**

**Hitokiri Musei:** I have regular updates? Oro! Me? Nevah! It goes against my principles. Glad you liked.

**Cleo:** Please don't use poison, that can be messy to clean up. I hope this was quick enough for you. If you're bored while waiting for me to get off my lazy ass and write, check out roku kyo (I think that's her name...she's on my favorites somewhere), she's an awesome writer. She deals with Fushigi Yuugi, not Rurouni Kenshin, but she's brilliant, just brilliant. I bow to the sensei of fic writing.

**Omasuoniwabanshi:** Gomen nasai! I'll try to update soon, since this chapter was so short. Snapple green tea! Nani! That's WORSE than the Arizona Green tea! Admittedly, I think it's better than pop (soda, soda pop, coke, what ever you wanna call it), but still, just get some Tazo tea. It's not the best, but it's better than most stuff you'll find in American stores. You can find it in grocery stores or at your local Starbucks. It's a $1.70 in my town for a venti of the stuff. I live on Zen tea while studying...


	9. Renunions, Introductions, and Scents

Author's Notes: Thanks for all the lovely reviews! They keep me fueled for the next chapters! (really! they do!) Sorry that I did not update for such a long time, but things were really hectic over finals. (Yay! They're done! I'm freeee!) Anyways, I have a month off now in which I can write in peace, so expect many updates. This story will start picking more very soon, I predict. Probably next chapter, things will heat up. More action, more suspense, and hopefully some humor inserted to keep things nice and level. Please enjoy! (and review!)

Disclaimer: I own nothing. No tengo nada. There, covered that in two languages!

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Sanosuke took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves, and knocked on the door for the first time in years. The noise inside silenced, then he could hear soft footsteps approaching the door. The shoji slid open and Kaoru's sweet face looked out.

"Yes? Who is...?" Kaoru halted, her pupils dialating in shock. "S-sano!" she shrieked finally after a moment's hesitation.

Grinning, Sanosuke replied, "Yeah, it's me, jou-san!"

"Sanosuke!" came a yell from inside, definitely the brat, an older one albiet, but still a brat. Yahiko ran from the dinning room and jumped on his old friend. Sanosuke, if he had not been blessed- or cursed- with both his human strength and rakshasa strength, would have been bowled over by the not-so-small-as-before brat.

In the bustle of saying hello and asking questions like: where were you? how are you? what have you been doing? the other rakshasa were pretty much ignored, except by Hiko. The preternatural creatures stared at each other, trying to decide what to do- is he friend? or is he enemy? Their insticts told the rakshasa to either fight or take flight, but logic saw that the chiang-shi had made a motion with his hands, which said: I'm not here to fight. The group decided to stay. Even an enemy such as this would not fight in front of a human friend or ally. It just would not be good manners, and this one looked like he had a few.

Invited in, the group and Sano sat opposite Hiko, Kaoru, Yahiko and Kenshin. Eying Sanosuke's friend curiously, Kenshin asked, "Who are you?"

Bai Ru, their spokesperson, replied, "I'm Bai Ru." Waving a hand at the tallest of them, the one with black hair and eyes the same color as Kenshin's, yet darker, he said, "This is Li Jin." And on he went, introducing each of the raksha from tallest to shortest, ending with the black haired, green-eyed Osamu.

"How did you meet Sano?" asked Kaoru, no less the curious despite the introductions.

"We met him at a job in China, and we were impressed with how he handled himself so well. We offered to let him join our group, so we've been working together for three years now," Bai Ru responded.

Sanosuke, while the intros were being made, stared at Hiko. Why did he get these bad vibes off the tall swordsman? He remembered the man to be Kenshin's old master. So why did he smell like a rotting corpse, charcoal, and clay? There was no sense to this riddle. Hiko was staring right back at him too. Kami knew what he was thinking...

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Saitoh did like this smell he caught a whiff from. It meandered through the streets and was at least five hours old. The owners of the scent passed this route around sunset. He was shocked when he recognized one of the threads, it was Sanosuke's. That ahou left for China years ago, yet now he was back? But the scent, though definitely of the same person, had altered from those years ago. There was something very different, yet the same, what was it?

He trailed the strange scents to Kenshin and Kaoru's home, then back-tracked it to the gate facing the road to Kyoto. So, more trouble to deal with other than the normal oni murders now. Wonderful.

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Author's Notes: I've found that I have an unhealthy addiction. I am totally hooked on cheddar cheese and raspberry yogurt! It's so yummy together! sigh Must...get...more! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, please keep reviewing! (keeps story going, ya know! Power to the mind fuel!)

Review Responses:

Cleo: Glad you enjoy it so much, hope you like this chapter as well.

Miharu Kawashi: I did? Must be a bug...makes a note to swat it when doing revisions and polishing Thank you for the compliments! Makes me happy...

omasuoniwabanshi: It's not that he smells bad...well, maybe to them he does...i always envisioned the smell of charcoal and clay to hang about him since he works with pottery...cough Anyways, Tokio? Hmm...I was trying to think of what to do with her...the Buddha woman...hmm..that gives me an idea...grin And as for your tea choice, I drink that stuff as well. It's very good. I don't like sweet tea (!que horror!), but I like sweet coffee (figures...). Caffeine can actually be helpful to you, but it all depends on the amount you ingest and how often you take it. Heheh,tea drinkingcan be pretty complicated, just like how lifeis very complicated and all those knots are just a bitch to untangle. All the perks of being human.


	10. A Child and Paperwork

Author's Notes: Arigato gozaimasu for all the sugoi reviews! I appreciate them very much! I decided to put off the revision process 'til I reach a larger number of chapters, like say...20 or 30. That way you'll have more to read while I fix up the little mess-ups and bugs in the chapters (yes, I know they aren't real computer bugs, that's just my nickname for misspellings and stuff like that..pay no mind to the computer terminology illiterate nerd). Since it's almost here, I feel like I can now say: Merry Christmas! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and school break! I know I'm enjoying mine...heheh...spent four days of it just sleeping. Please review!

Disclaimer: No tengo nada. I do not own this story, the characters, or anything else used in this. I'm not responsible for any hair-pullings either over frustration/anger/disappointment/etc.

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Sanosuke spent much of his time that night regaling his old friends with stories of the group's exploits. "You should have seen the look on that guy's face when we popped out of the bushes! He took one look at us and high-tailed it down the road. Li Jin, though, took him down before he got very far," Sanosuke told them, a nostalgic grin on his face.

"Wow, so you all have been doing this awhile, neh?" Yahiko asked, a look of awe on his face. Years passing had made him older, but no less impressed by the doings of his talented elders. Of course, now the kid could kick some butt too, but less than Sanosuke, still.

"Yeah, a long while," Bai Ru replied. The rakshasa had made themselves pretty comfortable, though they were ready an a split instant's notice to run if Hiko made a threatening move. Their leader figured they could wait until their hosts were asleep before discussing anything with the strange person who apparently was also visiting the Himura family. "Ow!" he said, startled when he felt a sharp, tugging sensation on his head. Turning around, he saw the perpetrator of the crime was a tiny child with huge dark violet eyes and red hair. "Who's this?" he asked the kid, playing the act most silly adults do in the prescence of children.

"That's our son, Kenji," Kaoru said with a proud smile.

"Hey! You guys didn't say you had a kid!" Sanosuke protested.

"Well, he was supposed to be asleep and we were planning to tell you in a bit," Kaoru defended herself and her husband. "Come here, sweetie," she crooned to her child.

Kenji let go of the interesting blonde hair and toddled over to his mother, burbling happily. "'Kaasan! Up!" he demanded. The young mother chuckled, and picked up her insistent son, craddling him.

"Never thought I'd see the day when jou-san would be holding a kid," Sanosuke said, a bit of surprise still in his eyes, but swiftly being replaced with a sort of mixture of pride and loss. The young girl had grown into a young woman, and he had missed it.

"Kenji is almost three now," Kenshin stated, his face full of parental joy/pride.

Sanosuke asked if he could hold the kid, and Kaoru passed Kenji to the tori-atama. He bounced the kid on his knee like he saw some Westerners do at a port city and found that Kenji liked it as much as the Western kids did. The toddler clapped his hands and giggled the whole time while the adults went back to filling each other in on what had been happening during their time apart.

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Saitoh hated paperwork. Nothing could be more boring, apparently useless, and tedious. But it had to be done and no one was up late enough other than him to do it, so he could not just fob it off on some underling. Picking up a pen, a small blessing from Westerners, he began to detail his patrol report, noting that there was no sign of the murderer on his route for the official version. The unofficial one told that the oni was dispatched easily and no further trouble was anticipated. His superiors would be happy to have another thorn taken from their sides. But it was only one of many, and it seemed that this night had just sprouted six more thorns, all harder and longer ones that would be difficult to extract.

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Author's Notes: Ok, so things didn't really get going, but I did lay the groundwork for it to start speeding up. Expect a new chapter soon. This story writing thing is a bit harder than I hoped it would be...just finished fleshing out what each rakshasa looks like in my notes, that took forever! Rawr! It was tedious. I also had to figure out what types of animals they would favor for two different situations. Anyways, at least that's all done. Now the fun can begin. Please review, it's my lifeblood for creativity!

Review Responses:

**Cleo: **Sorry for the slow starts. Hopefully that will change very soon. Of course Saitoh has a good nose! Didn't I say what he was? Must go check...

**Omasuoniwabanshi:** I always did Saitoh as the sort of person who says that. He's like one of my head voices when I feeling particularly mentally exhausted and more shit hits the fan, so to say. You know how that goes, neh? I didn't want a bloodbath between Hiko and the rakshasa, they're just two predators checking each other out to see if someone wants to pick a fight is all. Oh, and to make good tea, just put the tea bag in an empty cup, then fill it with hot water and let it steep for at least ten minutes, ok? That method usually makes a good cup of tea.

**Miharu Kawashi**: Yeah, I didn't want to make it short, but I was running low on creative juices to be entirely truthful... You hate Saitoh! Nani! tries to calm down He's actually my third favorite character, mostly because of Samurai X: Trust and Betrayel. He's such a bastard, I love him. Reminds me a lot of Roy Mustang, or the other way around I should say, since FMA is a younger anime...


	11. Information and Sifting for More

Author's Notes: Well, I'm back. Never say that vacation is supposed to be relaxing and restful. Not to me. Mine was awful. Little sleep, dealing with petty squables, sand in my shoes, etc. Not my cup of tea. I'm relieved to be home. Sorta. Anyways, thanks for the reviews and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

Disclaimer: No tengo nada. I own nothing and am making no profit (that means no money, presents, bribes, etc. are coming my way) off of this little story. Or any of my others to be truthful, but let's not go there either...All review responses from now on will be put on my profile. Check it out, I have the responses for chapter ten there now.

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While the residents of the Kamiya dojo slept, the rakshasa met with the older swordsman who smelled so strange. They did not stand there for very long sizing up the others' defenses before speaking. "What are you?" Bai Ru asked bluntly. The best way to get answers, sometimes, is to charge straight to the heart of the matter. Dancing around topics is for politics, not interrogation.

"I'm a chiang-shi," Hiko answered truthfully. "One who sucks chi from its victims, you might say."

"A deadly predator, I'm sure," Bai Ru commented.

"You are rakshasa, correct?" Hiko questioned, already certain of the answer.

"Yes," Bai Ru confirmed. "You've met some before?"

"I am used to encountering other non-ningen creatures as well as mixed bloods, so either you were rakshasa or a strange form of henge. Both are so similar, they could almost be the same," Hiko said. Feeling a tickling hair on his cheek, he absent-mindedly brushed an errant strand of hair from his face.

"What is your purpose for being here?" Bai Ru could not understand why the strange creature would want to visit humans and not feed on them. Hiko's actions puzzled him, for what predator does not take advantage of an easy meal? Great swordsman or no, Kenshin probably would not be able to protect his family from the man, he was too powerful.

Hiko wondered if he should divulge his baka deshi's secrets, then decided that the rakshasa could possibly aid him in his goal, therefore he could tell a little at least to them. "Kenshin once was my student, I taught him the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu techniques." Pausing for a moment to gather his details, he continued, "Due to the powers that come from learning the art, Kenshin at the moment he learned the succession technique and used it for the first time, he became a chiang-shi by the succession ritual. The only thing is, because I did not perish as planned, Kenshin never activated his powers fully. He also has never fed upon chi. I am here to show him what he is and I am hoping to convince him to train his son as well. Either he does, I will have to. The line must continue in time, a new successor for each age, for lack of change could destroy the line."

"I see. It does present a problem for you, doesn't it? By his son's own hand, Kenshin could die, couldn't he?"

"Yes, possibly, but Kenshin did stumble upon something that could let him survive, just as I did. The sakabatou, the reverse-bladed katana could allow a student to master Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu and leave his instructor alive."

"Interesting." Tilting his head to the side, Bai Ru asked, "You do know that Sanosuke is partially a rakshasa, correct?"

"When I first met him, I was not aware of his heritage, but now I do sense within him a new power. Is there a story behind that?"

"When we first met Sano, he was unaware of his ancestors' origins. He remembered being the son of a low-class farmer, but knew nothing else of his ancestry. But, the day I met him I could sense something to him I was curious about, so I allowed him to join our group. We all uncovered the secret in a few weeks and we found a way for him to tap into his powers. Unfortunately, he still cannot change his shape." Taking a breath, he finished, saying, "We fear he never will."

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Mornings never were Saitoh's favorite times, the afternoon and night being his favored hours, but today he had some urgent duties to attend to. Buckling his sword to his belt, he left his room at a modest, yet comfortable inn.

Walking the streets, he kept his eyes, ears, and nose open for anything strange. Too much was happening in Tokyo these days, Saitoh felt he could blame it all on the wiry red-headed rival of his from the old days. Not to diss the younger man, but whenever something dangerous, troublesome, and destructive happened, it usually involved the petite swordsman. The kami truely must be messing with the kid, he was far too popular a target for natural conventions.

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Author's Notes: End of another chapter. It is longer than the other one, right? More exciting? I hope so. (crosses fingers) Be prepared for another Omakeextra soon! Too many people demanding my attention now, so I had to leave it at that.Gomen! (bows) Namaste, all!


	12. A Patient and a Request

Author's Note: Sorry for having taken such a long, sudden hiatus. But, now I'm back on track and determined to get this story going again. Please review and tell me what you think.

Disclaimer: No tengo nada. This story is not my property, it all belongs to someone else.

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Megumi carefully washed her hands with a strong soap, removing all traces of blood and gore from the delicate skin. Looking over her shoulder at her patient, she wondered what could have caused such massive wounds that resembled those of dog bites, but far larger and deeper than they should have been. It was doubtful that the young man would live until sunset, he lost too much blood and his liver and kidneys had been torn along with the muscles and tendons from his leg wound. She dried her hands with the hand towel that lay beside the basin of water that now was pink rather than clear.

Strange attacks had been reported in the last few months. The man lying on the futon behind her was the only survivor of one of these seemingly random assualts. The police never would get any questions answered by this man, he would stay unconcious until death, probably. The massive loss of blood made certain that even if he did regain conciousness, he would not be lucid enough to tell of what he saw. Megumi felt angered at whatever had taken the young man's life. He had had so much before him, but that future would never be. The police were baffled by the attacks, not knowing what the perpetrator of the attacks were. They hypothesized that it was a large dog, but no one knew of any dog large enough to cause such huge wounds as displayed on all the victims. The youthful doctor hoped that answers and a solution would soon present itself, because she did not think she could handle many more of these cases. They drained her like none others, for all the attacks had been on young, healthy people that otherwise never would have seen her in years.

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"Fujita-san, hajimemashita," Kenshin greeted the tall policeman with a small smile. The differences they had had over the past years had mellowed after the Shishio Makoto, though there would always be slight antagonism between them. A semi-friendly rivalry, some might call it.

"Hajimemashita, Himura-san," replied Saitoh with a slight bow. Looking down at the small figure clutching his father's hakama,he saw the child possessed the eyes of his father and slightly darker, but still vibrant red hair as well. "I did not know you had a child."

"His name is Kenji," the diminutive swordsman stated proudly.

"He looks very much like you."

"Would you like to come in?" Kenshin led Saitoh to the dining room where the others were sitting and chatting, excepting Hiko who had disappeared for the moment. Introductions were made and surprisingly enough, no rude comments were exchanged between Sanosuke and Saitoh. The wolfish policeman merely politely inquired how the tori-atama had been doing, to which Sanosuke replied back that he just returned from China with his friends and planned to stay awhile.

"That is good," Saitoh said, "because I could use you and your friends' help as well as Himura-san's."

This small statement caught everyone's attention. Last time Saitoh required Kenshin's help, the fate of government of Japan hung in the balance. "What is it, Fujita-san? Why do you need my husband's help?" Kaoru asked softly. She hated that her precious love kept being dragged into dangerous circumstances. Everything had been quiet after Kenji was born, no one came to bother their new family, but it looked like that time of peace was about to be broken.

"There have been a strange series of murders all over the country in the past seven months," explained Saitoh. "The method of murder changes from place to place, and the amount of people involved in each place is small, but the manner of their deaths..." He paused for a moment, searching for the right words. "They are all so brutal, beyond what is normal. Some die from gaping wounds caused by bites of some animal, some dog-like in origin, but so huge it could not possibly be any type of dog. Others have died by being sliced open and having vital organs removed, especially the heart and liver, but the wounds were caused by some sort of immense set of claws, and we know this because part of one was left behind at the site."

"And how could Kenshin help?" Kaoru demanded before anyone else could ask a question. "This doesn't sound like something he should have to deal with."

Turning golden eyes back to the small woman, Saitoh answered, "Because he has the power to help. None of the policemen of this age have the experiences required to combat the bakemono responsible for these attacks."

"Bakemono?" Kenshin asked, "You mean, evil spirits?" The small man sounded stunned that Saitoh seriously considered legends to be true.

"Yes, I mean evil spirits. I met and killed one last night here in Tokyo, an oni that had been killing lone patrolers as of late." The tall man left no room for arguement that this happened. His manner showed he was not joking in the least, or insane, it happened as surely as the events concerning Shishio happened.

"Do you think an ookami yokai caused the dog-like bite wounds?" Bai Ru interjected into the conversation. It was a challenge to Saitoh, and both knew it. The policeman could smell that Bai Ru and his companions were not human, even Sanosuke was not completely human.

"I doubt it. They would have a more discrete way of killing their prey," Saitoh replied, with a warning in that sentence as well as the facts for the rakshasa. "More likely, it was an rabid inu yokai or another oni."

Kaoru and Kenshin stayed silent all the while, eyes flickering back and forth between Saitoh and Bai Ru and his friends. There was a sublimal message in their dialogue, and Kaoru finally discovered what it was. "You're...yokai?" she asked timidly, unsure what answer she would get.

Saitoh settled for nodding, while Bai Ru simply stated, "Yes," before going on to elaborate. "Well, not specifically yokai, but rather rakshasa, or shapeshifter if you will. Sanosuke is part rakshasa. And I believe our new aquaintence here is an ookami-yokai."

Hiko watched the happenings thoughtfully. This fateful encounter would make his revalation to Kenshin easier, that was for certain.

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Author's Notes: This chapter feels kinda awkward to me, so I'm going to revise it with the others sooner or later, but for now, this is what you get. Move the plot along! Don't look back (yet)! Stride straight into the future with bright eyes and mind! Thank you to those that so kindly reviewed my last chapter, I appreciate it. I'll post replies to their reviews in my profile. Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy whatever nice weather you may be having. Play soccer or frisbee, it's fun and good for you (though don't follow my example and nearly break someone's leg by defending the goal...:P).

Dictionary

hajimeru - to begin

hajimemashita - "It has been a long time" A ritual greeting when one hasn't seen someone in an extended period of time.

-san - an honorific roughly meaning "Mr" or "Mrs".


	13. A Few More Surprises

Author's Notes: Inspiration hits me off and on, usually with the force of a hammer wielded by one of my good friends who happens to be a martial artist of higher rank than I (she hits hard, really hard). So, here's the next chapter and I hope y'all enjoy it, sorry it took so long to produce.

Disclaimer: No tengo nada. I own nothing written on this page. It all belongs to someone else. (though if it did belong to me, well, let's just say Battousai would be hanging around more often and Tomoe would be happily married to her fiance with twelve kids. Yup, yup.)

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"Hayasaka?" Megumi said, shaking her patient out of the daze she had been in as she awoke.

"Hai, Sensei-san?" the now lucid girl asked groggily, wincing as she changed position on her futon slightly so as to see Megumi's face better.

The doctor did a quick visual survey of the girl, glad to see that the bandages around her chest, arms, and face were not soaked through with blood like they had for many days before. "How do you feel? Is the pain bad?"

Hayasaka cautiously tried taking a deep breath, then another more confidently as she found she could do so with minimal amounts of pain. "I can breath better, but there's still some pain." Moving her arms slowly, she brought up her palms to her face, touching the bandages surrounding her cheeks that held them together as they healed. "I feel very little pain, how strange..."

Megumi watched the girl test her mobile abilities with something akin to awe. "Let me check your wounds." Cutting through the bandages on Hayasaka's arms, she saw that the more minor of the girl's wounds were almost completely healed. Three days before, the girl had huge, gaping wounds on her arms, chest, and her face had her cheeks ripped away. Now, the wounds on her arms were almost healed. The young doctor was completely astounded. "Hayasaka...how...?" Looking at the young woman's face, she saw that Hayasaka herself did not know what was going on.

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Saitoh decided that the toddler son of the midgit red-headed swordsman was endurable. Despite the fact he somehow pilfered a cigarette and had run to his mother to ask what it was for. Despite the fact the kid pulled his hair. Despite the fact...well, we won't go there. As it was, the kid had the spunk, but apparently none of that irrational temper that Kamiya Kaoru had. A relief to all involved with that family.

Kenshin and his wife had listened to Saitoh, Bai Ru, and the other's explainations unflinchingly. They were astonished, slightly horrified that they never guessed that any of the legends were true, but they accepted it pretty calmly. Saitoh thought Kamiya-san would go into hysterics, something she tended to be known for, but she was quicker to understand things than Kenshin. He wondered why.

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Hikou delayed telling Kenshin what he should know not a moment longer than he absolutely had to. Once Kenshin was alone, Hikou stepped into the empty room. "Kenshin?" he asked quietly, to get the younger man's attention.

"Hai, sensei?" the petite man replied softly, his eyes still unfocused as he faced a wall, his mind engaged in his thoughts.

Sitting next to his one time pupil, he said, "There is something you ought to know."

Blinking, Kenshin turned to face Hikou. Something in the older man's tone told him he was about to be surprised again. "What is it?" he ventured to ask.

"Being the successor to Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu means two things. One, you are supposedly the only master alive. Two, you inheirit a certain...power passed from master to student for over a millenia. This power basically makes you immortal, until you are ready to die under the next master-to-be's sword during the initiation." Looking at Kenshin, he was amused to see the little man's eyes about ready to pop out, they were opened so wide in astonishment.

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Babbling Brook: Yes, I here, I'm alive. Due to the pressure of school demands, I was unable to write, though I really wanted to. I hope this chapter can satisfy you for awhile longer...it's short, I know. I'm sorry. Gomen nasai! But, that's all I have for now. Ja ne! (I'll post review replies once I go back to edit this chapter)


	14. Tidbit Chapter

Author's Notes: Ever hit a brick wall while running? Neither have I, but I imagine it hurts. Please enjoy the story. (and review)

Disclaimer: I do not own this story. It all belongs to someone else. If you are not the owner want to borrow any ideas from this, however, please ask me before doing so.

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Kenshin did not know what to tell his wife. How could he broach the subject of immortality with her? His immortality? Kami-sama, he felt like he was drowning with anxiety. And to think he would either have to teach his son the art as well, or Hiko would do it for him. The kami must hate him.

"Kenshin," Kaoru's voice whispered from behind him.

"Nani, anata?" he replied softly. Should he tell her now, or wait until the next evening?

"I heard what Hiko told you." Her quietly spoken statement made him stiffen in absolute shock. She heard? She knew? The kami must really hate him. "It's alright," she told him. "You need not worry about it."

"Not worry?" he hissed, his eyes begining to fill with tears. "How can I not? Kaoru, I don't want to live forever without you by my side!"

A small hand on his shoulder, Kaoru turned her husband to face her. Her eyes already were red-rimmed from crying. She still cried. "There are ways around that, Kenshin. I could join you. Remember the tales?"

Kenshin stared at her. "Surely they're not true. Are they?"

"Only way to find out is to ask Hiko. He'll give us an answer."

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Megumi was fed up with everything. It was time to go get the help she needed. If the regular police could not keep people safe, then she would go find those that could. The Kenshin-gumi to be precise. She might be needed here to help heal people, but more and more would come in and even more would die on the streets if she did not go to Kenshin and Kaoru for aid. A difficult decision, but one that needed to be made. Hayasaka would go with her, in order to tell Kenshin her first hand experience of what was happening.

Her things were packed quickly into tidy bundles that would be easy to carry. Hayasaka helped with the clothes, while Megumi quickly sorted through her medicinal supplies to pick which ones would be best to take with them. You never knew who would need to be bandaged from head to toe when it came to Kenshin and his little family. They were walking disastors.

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Babbling Brook: Short, but that's all I have time to write for a bit. I just wanted to get this out there. The next chapter will be longer, I promise. Please review!


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